Stephanie Steiner + Kiley Wellendorf | Co-Editors-in-Chief
Odds are, if someone raises the issue of immigration in any social setting, everyone in the room will have an opinion. And most are unafraid to voice opinions—sometimes with raised voices.
Two presidential candidates, representatives of both political parties, professional organizations, and over 400 community members and students gathered on Buena Vista University’s (BVU) campus in Storm Lake, Iowa, Saturday, August 29, to participate in #UniteIowa Forum on Immigration. The issue of immigration has stirred a buzz and seen a great divide as the 2016 presidential race launches into full swing.
Situated in Anderson Auditorium in the center of campus, a group of six panelists spoke with each other for approximately 90 minutes about the myriad challenges of immigration: economic, social, and legal. Panelists were: Tamara Scott, Republican National Committeewoman and Concerned Women for America state director; Kim Hunter, JD, immigration lawyer; Joe Crookham, CEO, Musco Lighting; Monica Reyes, DACA recipient and DREAM Iowa founder; Sandra Sanchez, Director of Iowa Immigrant Voice; and Charles Valenti-Hein, senior pastor of Lakeside Presbyterian Church in Storm Lake. In addition, two Democratic presidential candidates participated in the forum: Former Governor of Rhode Island, Lincoln Chafee, and Former Governor of Maryland, Martin O’Malley. Because the forum was intentionally designed to be non-partisan, all current Republican and Democratic candidates for President were invited to the forum; all but Chafee and O’Malley declined. In addition, though Republican Sam Clovis was originally slated to participate in the panel, he had to withdraw shortly before the event because he accepted a role as national co-chairman for Donald Trump’s Republican bid for the presidency. Clovis cited major changes in his schedule as a result.
Kyle Munson, founder of #UniteIowa and Des Moines Register columnist, organized the event as a pathway to civil dialogue about immigration.
“Rural America might not be a border city or a border state but it has a lot to say in this conversation,” Munson said, touching on the role of agriculture in the immigration conversation in Iowa, which faces strong economic pull to employ many new immigrants.
The strategic list of panelists allowed for a wide range of perspectives among the discussion as members of Iowa’s political, educational, faith, business, and immigrant communities joined on stage to speak their points of view on the topic. Likewise, several organizations gathered to be informed and to advocate their stance on immigration.
“We’re hoping to learn something new and bring different perspectives back to our campus,” Iowa State University student Susan Cruz said. She and fellow members of Lambda Theta Alpha, a national Latina sorority, attended the event with a mission to educate the Latino community on the importance of civic duties, such as voting and higher education.
Munson was clear from the beginning of the forum about the importance of ‘civil discourse’ on the issue of immigration, and panelists and audience members alike were loyal to that call. While there were occasional bursts of applause at various points during the forum, the event deftly avoided the vitriol and name-calling Munson sought to avoid.
Though there were spirited exchanges between several panelists—especially Scott and Sanchez—and even some pointed questioning from panelists to the Presidential candidates, the tone of the exchanges always remained respectful and controlled. Valenti-Hein offered a pointed summary of where the national immigration conversation needed to go following the forum: ‘erase the fear.’
The two-hour long event was livestreamed through The Des Moines Register and Buena Vista University.
Photo by Justice Gage
